Madeira

The main island of Madeira rises steeply from deep water, and it has very few beaches in the usual sense. The shore is mostly black boulders and pebbles, and the sandy beaches at Calheta and Machico are built with imported golden sand. Swimming here is a matter of lidos, sea ladders and natural rock pools. Funchal's seafront lidos have pools and steps down into the Atlantic, and the volcanic pools at Porto Moniz and Seixal's black-sand cove on the north coast are the most memorable spots. The sea reaches about 22°C to 23°C from August to October and is cooler for the rest of the year.

If a long sandy beach matters to you, the answer is Porto Santo, the neighbouring island, which has 9km of soft golden sand and calm water. It is a short flight or a ferry of about two and a half hours away, so it works better as a few nights' stay than as a day out.

Madeiran cooking is simple and its own: espetada, beef skewered on bay-wood sticks and grilled over coals, black scabbardfish served with banana, grilled limpets in garlic butter, and bolo do caco, a flatbread baked on a stone and spread with garlic butter. Poncha, a short, sharp mix of sugar-cane rum, honey and lemon, is drunk standing at village bars. Madeira wine is the island's great product, and you can taste the old vintages in the historic lodges of Funchal.

The Mercado dos Lavradores is piled with passion fruit, custard apples and the catch of the morning. Funchal has the best spread of restaurants, from simple grill houses to a small fine-dining tier, and Câmara de Lobos is the place for fish. Away from these the choice narrows to the regional classics.

The island's heritage is concentrated in Funchal, a port town founded in the 15th century on the sugar trade. The Sé cathedral has a carved cedar ceiling, and the old town is built of whitewashed walls trimmed in dark basalt. The Quinta das Cruzes and the Frederico de Freitas house museum hold decorative arts from the island's merchant families, and the old wine lodges show how Madeira wine is aged. The pilgrimage church at Monte sits above the town.

Around the island, the thatched A-frame houses of Santana and the fishing harbour of Câmara de Lobos are the best-known sights. It is an attractive set, but small: most visitors see the cultural side of Madeira in a day or two and spend the rest of their time outdoors.

Going out on Madeira means Funchal, and mostly the Zona Velha, the old quarter around Rua de Santa Maria with its painted doors. Its small bars and poncha counters spill onto the lanes and stay lively until late at weekends. There are a few clubs and lounge bars along the seafront and in the hotel district to the west of the centre. Many visitors are walkers or older couples, so most evenings end with a long dinner and a glass of Madeira wine. Outside Funchal the island is quiet after dark.

Madeira is one of the great walking islands. Its volcanic spine climbs to more than 1,800m, and the ridge path from Pico do Arieiro to Pico Ruivo crosses jagged peaks, often above a sea of cloud. Below the peaks, centuries-old irrigation channels called levadas have level paths beside them that thread through the laurel forest of the north. This UNESCO-listed forest is dripping with moss and ferns and full of waterfalls, as at Caldeirão Verde and the 25 Fontes.

On the coast, the cliff top at Cabo Girão rises above the sea, and Ponta de São Lourenço is a bare, wind-carved peninsula at the eastern tip. Canyoning, paragliding, mountain biking, diving and whale and dolphin watching fill the rest of a stay. The mild climate makes the island walkable all year, although the high trails can be wet and cold in winter.

Most days out on Madeira are journeys into the landscape rather than visits to other towns. The places to visit are small: Câmara de Lobos, where fishing boats are drawn up below the cliffs, Machico, where the first settlers landed, the thatched houses of Santana, and São Vicente and Porto Moniz on the wild north coast. A loop of the island by car or tour combines several in a day. The neighbouring island of Porto Santo is the one real outing to another place. It is quiet and sandy, with a small whitewashed town, and is reachable by ferry or a short flight, although the ferry makes for a long day.

Madeira is safe and relaxed, and the climate is mild all year, which makes a calm family trip easy. Children enjoy the cable car up to Monte and the ride back down in the wicker toboggan sleds steered by men in straw hats. There are also boat trips to see dolphins and whales, the aquarium at Porto Moniz and the seawater pools at the lidos. Older children can manage the gentler levada walks.

The island is steep and has little sand, though, and there are no theme parks or large zoos. Funchal's hilly streets are tiring with a pushchair. Families with small children usually choose a resort hotel with pools, and Porto Santo suits families who want a proper beach.

Funchal's flat seafront and old town are easy to walk, and the town has a cable car, but the streets climb steeply as soon as you leave the harbour. Beyond the capital most visitors hire a car. The fast road and its many tunnels bring the whole south coast and much of the north within an hour. The mountain roads up to the peaks and the trailheads are narrow, very steep and full of hairpins, which unnerves some drivers. Regional buses reach most villages, but they are slow and do not suit an early walk. Taxis and guided tours with transfers to the trails fill the gap for those who do not drive.

Shopping on Madeira is about what the island makes. Hand embroidery on linen has been made here since the 19th century. The village of Camacha is known for wickerwork, and bottles of Madeira wine are sold in the old Funchal lodges. The Mercado dos Lavradores sells exotic fruit, flowers and spices. Funchal's pedestrian streets and a couple of shopping centres cover everyday fashion, but there is no luxury district and little worth seeking out beyond the crafts.

Madeira has a moderate price level by Western European standards. Grill houses, market produce, poncha and local wine are good value, and the levadas and mountain trails cost nothing to walk. Rooms in Funchal and the south coast towns are reasonably priced outside the peak periods around New Year and Easter. Clifftop resort hotels, car hire, which most visitors need, and guided canyoning or boat trips are what push up the cost of a stay.

The island's performing arts are small in scale. Funchal's 19th-century Teatro Baltazar Dias hosts concerts, plays and the regional classical orchestra, and some restaurants and small houses in the old town have fado evenings. Folk groups in red-striped costumes dance the traditional bailinho at festivals and village feasts. The yearly calendar includes the spring Flower Festival, carnival and the Atlantic Festival with its music and fireworks. It is pleasant to come across, but there is little to plan a trip around.

Madeira has no thermal springs or bathing tradition. It has, however, been a place to rest and recover since the 19th century, when invalids wintered here for the gentle climate. The large hotels along Funchal's western cliffs have good spas and seawater pools, and the old quintas set in gardens are quiet places to stay. The pace of the island is slow. Afternoons go on wandering the botanical gardens and the tropical gardens at Monte, or sitting on a terrace above the Atlantic. It suits a calm, unhurried stay, but there are no historic baths or hammams to build a trip around.